The truth is that many people fail to train their dogs, no matter what ‘method’ or approach they use.

The truth is also that many people succeed without using punishment, just as many people succeed whilst including punishment in their training programmes.

And the final truth, is that people are switching in their droves from traditional methods to modern methods. And nobody is going the other way.

What you need to do, is decide how you want to train your dog. And that will depend on a number of factors

Your choices in dog training

Whether you choose to use a traditional dog training approach, or feel more comfortable with modern methods is a matter for your personal choice, but chose you must, because the two approaches are very different.

If you are going to be attending classes or getting help from a professional trainer, you’ll need to know in advance which approach you wish to take.

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This will enable you to find a trainer you are comfortable with.

Not all traditional trainers are open about their methods. This is because they use a degree of force and they are aware that some people find this objectionable.

How to recognize a traditional trainer

You can often recognise traditional trainers by their language, which tends to focus on characteristics of the dog such as defiance or respect, and on a breakdown in leadership on the part of the owner.

He or she may use a range of aversive tools such as prong collars or in the USA electric shock collars – often called E-collars. In traditional dog training classes edible rewards may not be permitted.

A modern trainer will focus on the training process itself, will comfortable discussing positive reinforcement, and will refer to cues rather than commands.

Edible rewards will be encouraged and any tools tend to be management based – training lines for example. The dogs in a modern class will often be wearing a harness, rather than a collar.

When it comes to online dog training courses, if you want to use a modern trainer, be very wary of any trainer that is ‘secretive’ about his methods. Or that doesn’t make it clear in advance of payment, what methods will be used.

Modern dog trainers are always up front about their methods.

Science based training

We often refer to modern training methods as ‘science based’ But it is worth remembering that all dogs learn according to the laws of science.

They learn through the consequences of their behavior, whatever those consequences may be.

The laws of science apply to all dogs and all trainers, not just modern dog trainers.

This is true whether or not the person training the dog is aware of the science behind what they are doing.

The only difference is that traditional trainers are often unaware of the ‘laws’ that underpin the results they are getting.

Of course, you don’t need to understand the basic rules of behavior in order to train a dog, any more than you need to understand the physics that applies to wind an waves in order to sail a boat.

But it helps. It really does!

Some of us feel that we are better trainers if we understand how those ‘laws’ are influencing our behavior. And our dog’s behavior.

And if we understand what is actually happening when we train a dog.

The public image of dog training

When you are considering methods or approaches to use in dog training, it is also worthwhile remembering that the media often portrays quite an unbalanced view of the dog training community.

Apart from the gun dog training sector, most professional dog trainers nowadays use modern and largely force-free methods, but these gentle and effective techniques do not make good television.

T.V. Dog Trainers

This is gradually changing, but many of the dog trainers that we see in the media, and whose books sell prolifically, still tend to be traditional trainers.

And they often use apparently dramatic ‘cures’, based on outdated and disproven theories of dominance and hierarchy in dogs.

These methods may not have lasting results and can be harmful, resulting for example in aggression and stress related behaviours in the dog.

Effective training

We all want a well behaved dog. And that means using effective training methods. But it is important not to confuse efficacy with style.

Remember that if consequences to your dog’s behavior are not controlled effectively, or consistently, or in a structured way, then training will not take place. No matter which style you train in.

If you effectively apply good consequences to good behaviors they will be strengthened.

If you effectively apply bad consequences to bad behaviors they will diminish.

If you effectively ensure that the dog does not benefit in any way from bad behaviors, these too will diminish.

Traditional trainers mainly use a mix of ‘bad consequences’ and ‘good consequences’. Modern trainers mainly use a mix of ‘good consequences’ and ‘no benefit’.

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How you balance these three consequences is a personal matter.

But there is evidence now to suggest that applying bad consequences may have unwanted side effects, including aggression and delays in learning.

Why trainers are switching to modern methods

The side effects of traditional training, together with the many benefits of modern training, are just some of the reasons that modern dog trainers are moving away from the use of aversives in dog training.

Increasingly, dogs are being trained to high standards without the use of force or coercion.

Comments

A good article, but there are some of us that are in the middle. And some that don’t like the dog to do it wrong in the first place, but still use collar and lead, and lines. Some ‘modern trainers’ are too far down the Montessori, never correct your dog, way, and are creating monsters, to my mind. And I would never presume to tell folk that come to me for training what equipment to use. I know of classes where they do not allow collars, only harnesses, with no advice of the type of harness etc. Is a minefield. Agree with the dominance theory being a load of rubbish, but do like a bit of respect both ways.

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